Chapter 1363: Immortal Chess Fusion Begins

Angry Squid

"The First Generation Grand Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang was not a celestial being descending to the lower realm..."

"But rather, a celestial being becoming mortal?"

In an instant, Li Fan's mind was greatly shaken. A celestial being descending to the lower realm and a celestial being becoming mortal. While these two might seem similar, there is a fundamental difference between them. When a celestial being descends, they remain a true immortal, though their power is bound by the limits the lower realm can withstand. But once they become mortal, then... the immortal is no longer an immortal!

Becoming a true immortal is the coveted goal of all mortal cultivators. Yet, in the ancient Xuanhuang Realm, a true immortal actually chose to willingly degrade themselves and be banished to the mortal world.

"The Tribulation of Dao Annihilation!" This name flashed through Li Fan's mind in an instant. Other than to escape the terrifying calamity that later destroyed the immortal realm, Li Fan could not think of any other reason why such a choice would be necessary.

"When the First Generation Grand Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang became mortal, there should still have been a considerable period before the Immortal Realm's great tribulation."

"Such foresight, such courage!"

"This is a true immortal truly descending to the mortal world!"

Li Fan couldn't help but marvel in his heart.

But Li Fan suddenly changed his mind, thinking, "However, it cannot be ruled out that he was forced to do so. After all, from previous true immortal memories, it's known that the Immortal Realm is also strictly hierarchical."

"If it were merely to escape the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation for himself, theoretically, he would never again hold the position of Xuanhuang Heavenly Venerate."

"Evidently, the First Generation's descent was to cooperate with the Immortal Realm to achieve a specific plan."

"And the Xuanhuang Realm was one of the test grounds."

Recalling the indeterminate rings and nine-star red pearls previously seen within the immortal formation, along with the countless frozen corpses controlled by the overseers, Li Fan vaguely connected everything.

"It's even possible that the Immortal Realm created this Xuanhuang experimental ground not merely as a refuge."

"They also attempted to explore and find a solution to the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation."

"However, judging by the current outcome, they failed."

"The Tribulation of Dao Annihilation raged and spread through the Immortal Realm at a speed faster than imagined. Countless true immortals perished within it."

"Yet, the lower realm Xuanhuang remained safe and sound. This caused the resolve of some immortals to resist the calamity to waver."

"This led to the later Immortal Domain Fragment plan..."

As he squinted in thought, a greater question arose in Li Fan's mind.

"Did that First Generation Grand Heavenly Venerate of Xuanhuang truly die?"

The true immortal's remains have been passed down and controlled by successive Xuanhuang Heavenly Venerates. But what about the First Generation himself? There's a clear distinction between mortals and immortals. Since the First Generation could leave behind a bloodline, he should have completely transformed into a mortal body. Could such a figure, like countless other mortals, simply have vanished into the long river of history due to the end of his lifespan? Or did he change his identity, live anonymously, and silently observe everything from the shadows?

"It now appears that the close connection between the Xuanhuang Realm and the Immortal Realm is undoubtedly linked to this First Generation Heavenly Venerate. A true immortal, whose power was lowered and who was banished, acted as a bridge between immortals and mortals, secretly monitoring everything that occurred in the Xuanhuang Realm."

"This true immortal was also constrained by the Immortal Realm; perhaps he became discontent and faked his death to escape."

"The second Xuanhuang Heavenly Venerate was no longer a celestial being who had become mortal, but a being chosen from within the Xuanhuang Realm itself..."

"Either the cost of a celestial being becoming mortal was too high and unsustainable, or perhaps even in the Immortal Realm, the Xuanhuang Realm project was top secret, limiting the number of true immortals who could participate. They might have simply run out of candidates willing to undergo mortal transformation."

"Or perhaps, both."

Recalling the mysterious character he had seen in the You Clan's bloodline, Li Fan pondered, "For a celestial being to become mortal, it's certainly not as simple as merely lowering their power."

"It also involves the transformation between immortal and mortal."

"That is a power almost on par with creation itself..."

His thoughts raced. In an instant, Li Fan largely pieced together the possible truth concerning the Immortal Realm and Xuanhuang. The vast majority of this was inferred by Li Fan based on the commonalities he instantly grasped between the First Generation Grand Heavenly Venerate and Xing Wuque's power reduction. The fact that it corresponded with previously uncovered clues already spoke volumes.

"The banished immortal hidden in the shadows..."

"Yet in the previous life, even as the high wall collapsed and the star sea became turbulent, he still showed no trace."

"It seems that by this point in time, even the banished immortal no longer resides in the Darkest Star Sea."

"Of course, he might not have perished. It's highly probable that he has already jumped beyond the high wall!"

The Darkest Star Sea, being Li Fan's current base of operations, appeared relatively safe on the surface. This brought Li Fan a slight sense of reassurance.

"Since the You Clan are descendants of the First Generation Grand Heavenly Venerate,"

"I wonder if I can use the Manifestation Art to stimulate their bloodline connection and thereby track down that banished immortal?"

A dangerous thought suddenly surfaced in Li Fan's mind. But he quickly suppressed it.

"For now, there's no need for such a futile endeavor. Perhaps later, when I possess the strength to explore beyond the high wall, I can reconsider this matter."

From numerous fragmented clues, he glimpsed an iceberg of the former Immortal Realm. While making Li Fan increasingly curious about the Immortal Realm, it also made him incredibly wary of the Immortal Domain fragments that had been collected but not yet assembled.

"If there truly were true immortals who viewed the lower realm as a breeding ground for escaping calamity, then this disassembled and sealed immortal domain could very well be their hiding place..."

Li Fan pondered, feeling hesitant about whether to activate the Immortal Domain fragments left by Sun Piaomiao. After long deliberation, he finally made up his mind and suppressed his hesitation.

"Such a blind box will be opened sooner or later."

"It's better to open it sooner than later."

"Having mastered the method of degrading immortal formations and with numerous formations at hand, even if something unexpected occurs, I can calmly activate 'Return to Truth'."

"Moreover, there's a place in the Star Sea specifically designed to target immortals..."

A sharp glint flashed in Li Fan's eyes.

He summoned Liu Ruchen and other descendants of Sun Piaomiao from the Medicine King Sect, bringing along all the Immortal Domain fragments. Enveloped by the wooden sword's illusory image, he swept them towards the center of the Star Sea. The illusion solidified, transforming into a scene of clear skies and a mundane world. He did not allow the Medicine King Sect members to perceive their true circumstances. Only Li Fan could see the boundless black mist not far away, which made his heart pound.

"The spreading speed is faster than anticipated."

"Moreover, the outer periphery of this black mist area..."

Li Fan observed for a while, comparing it with what he had seen before, and couldn't help but frown slightly. He had seen omens of the Tribulation of Dao Annihilation here more than once before, but from a great distance, a sense of crisis only arose in his heart while merely "witnessing" the black mist. But now, even if he looked away and avoided directly observing the boundless black mist, an unsettling premonition still surged within Li Fan, like a rising tide. The sense of crisis lingered, and even the Xuanhuang Immortal Heart Mantra could not dispel it. In fact, the longer he stayed, the more intensely it built up. Suppressing his instinct to flee, Li Fan carefully savored this specific feeling.

"It's like a precarious wall collapsing, or a towering building about to fall, and I am standing right beneath it..."

Under the intense crisis, Li Fan retreated instead of advancing. The wooden sword's illusory image almost reached the edge of the continuously churning and expanding sea of black mist.

"Begin," Li Fan calmly instructed Liu Ruchen and the others within the wooden sword's illusion. Unaware of their own situation, the Medicine King Sect members merely gazed at the floating light cluster ahead, their expressions bewildered.

Entangled in golden chains, one rainbow-colored piece, one white piece, and six gray pieces were prominently displayed.

"These are the Immortal Realm fragments left by our ancestor!"

About to unlock the secrets of the ancient Immortal Realm left by Sun Piaomiao, the Medicine King Sect members, with excited hearts, began the fusion of the Immortal Domain fragments under Li Fan's guidance. With Liu Ruchen's Longevity Azure Power from the "Life-Saving Longevity Scripture" as the dominant force, they first fused the six individually sealed gray pieces. The process was surprisingly smooth. Similar to the outcome of Li Fan's previous controlled fusion, the six gray pieces merged into a rainbow-colored piece that was one size larger.

Now, only two six-in-one rainbow-colored pieces remained, along with the most crucial one: the white piece formed from the Medicine King Cauldron. The white piece seemed stimulated by the other two merged pieces, with rainbow-colored light continuously echoing from its edges. Although it was slightly smaller than the rainbow-colored pieces, it appeared to be the core. The binding golden chains swayed precariously, ready to break open at any moment.

Li Fan rapidly retreated, simultaneously releasing the seal. The Medicine King Sect members' eyes filled with fanaticism as they manipulated the two rainbow-colored pieces, guiding them to guard and surround the white piece. In an instant, the halo of light at the edge of the white piece suddenly expanded outwards. It engulfed the two rainbow-colored pieces. In the field, only the final piece remained.

*Hum...*

A faint, low humming sound began to emanate from the piece. Through layers of immortal formations, Li Fan carefully observed this newborn piece. What was somewhat strange was that although all pieces had been absorbed, the imagined immortal domain did not directly manifest. However, Li Fan was certain that the fusion was successful. He could feel the "weight" of the nearby immortal domain continuously increasing. The wooden sword's illusion and the enveloping immortal formation were all precarious. Under the immortal domain's influence, they could shatter at any moment.

Just as Li Fan was about to inject more power, intending to at least maintain the formation until the true immortal domain appeared, a peculiar protective force emanated from that final white piece. It directly covered the wooden sword's illusion and the immortal formation. As if entering another dimension, the oppressive power of the immortal domain naturally vanished. Li Fan, however, remained outside the immortal domain's range. Using the wooden sword's illusion as his eye, he peered into the scenes within the immortal domain. Strictly speaking, the wooden sword's illusion had not truly entered the immortal domain. Rather, the immortal domain merely provided them with pillars of protection. The Medicine King Sect members, who were in shock, received the same treatment.

It was as if a crumpled piece of paper was continuously unfolding. The piece representing the immortal domain emitted increasingly brighter light. It even temporarily repelled the continuous black mist that was about to spread from nearby. Li Fan rapidly retreated again, to avoid these rays of light shining on himself. The radiance from the immortal domain did not extend continuously forward in the Darkest Star Sea like ordinary light. It merely stopped expanding after reaching a certain area. From afar, it looked like a gigantic sphere of light. It floated at the edge of the sea of black mist. This white light was too dazzling; it even blocked the perception of the wooden sword's illusion that Li Fan had placed within it. Li Fan vaguely saw countless blurry, flickering images within it. Seemingly human, yet not. Seemingly scenery, yet not.

Just as Li Fan was anticipating the imminent manifestation of the immortal domain, the sea of black mist, which had previously been repelled by the immortal domain's radiance, suddenly began to churn abruptly. Black tides surged, and its expansion speed increased even further. The black mist rolled, arriving instantly at the edge of the immortal domain's light sphere. And the immortal domain that was about to appear, as if perceiving something utterly terrifying, its light suddenly contracted. From its original gigantic light sphere, it reverted back into the white, color-edged piece. Then, to the stunned disbelief of the Medicine King Sect members, it transformed into a streak of white light, piercing the sky and rapidly fleeing.

The "sky" in the eyes of the Medicine King Sect members was, of course, the wooden sword's illusion and immortal formation protection set up by Li Fan. The means capable of trapping Heavenly Doctors for a short time actually couldn't even block this white light for a moment. Just as the Immortal Domain piece was about to vanish into the Star Sea, a giant finger descending from the sky suddenly tore through space and firmly pressed it down.

It was precisely Li Fan's Nine Heavens Descending Dust Finger! Perhaps it sensed the aura of high power from the Nine Heavens Descending Dust Finger, or perhaps the threat from the black mist had been eliminated. In any case, it only trembled slightly for a moment, and the white light stopped struggling. It withdrew all its aura fluctuations. It floated quietly in the air.

"This reaction is somewhat excessive."

"The appearance of the black mist must have triggered some kind of obstruction."

"The unfolding of the immortal domain failed."

Li Fan observed for a moment and immediately understood. This temporary failure did not mean the immortal domain piece had lost its function. Instead, it had temporarily gone dormant. However, from the moment it was about to unfold, Li Fan had already glimpsed some scenes within the immortal domain.

"It can be largely confirmed that there are no living beings within this immortal domain."

"My concern about dormant true immortals lurking within will not materialize."

"However, aside from the most basic Immortal Realm laws, the most prominent feature within this immortal domain was..."

Li Fan's brows furrowed, and he extended his palm, trying to make a gesture.

"These floating light and shadows..."

"Are they true immortal seal characters?"

Li Fan was somewhat unsure. From the fleeting glimpse of the immortal domain just now, Li Fan saw many flowing black lines. Having immersed himself in true immortal seal characters for a long time, Li Fan naturally recognized at a glance that those were precisely the structures found in various true immortal seal characters.

"True immortal seal characters are essentially the materialization of laws."

"And when materialized true immortal seal characters decompose and revert to laws..."

"Is this the process of the piece unfolding into an immortal domain?"

Li Fan had an epiphany. The immortal domain piece could actually be seen as a superposition of countless true immortal seal characters! At the same time, Li Fan's heart stirred. To be able to construct a complete immortal domain, the sheer number of true immortal seal characters contained within this piece was probably beyond imagination!

"The true immortal who created this piece back then was absolutely no ordinary person!"